Giant Tea Kettle

On the corner of Court and Tremont Streets in Boston, you can still marvel at this enormous brass tea kettle suspended above what is now a Starbucks coffee shop. The spout actually steams!

Manufactured in 1873, it was originally an advertisement for the Oriental Tea Company, and it became a huge tourist attraction when, in 1875, a contest was held to guess the kettle's capacity. (You can see what it is these days, printed on the side of the pot.)

Bucketing rain today. Mr. W snapped the bridge of his glasses yesterday when he was attempting to adjust them, so we waded over to an optician right next door to the giant kettle to get them repaired. I'm spending the rest of the day huddled indoors!